More detailed chart to magnitude 14.5: Click here (opens new window to different website – the top two “TYC” stars identified are the same two “HIP” stars identified in my chart, above, and in Stellarium)

Eyes on the Sky: Jan 30 thru Feb 5

Wandering the Winter Circle

Find the 6, easy to spot, naked eye stars of the Winter Circle (or Winter Hexagon), as well as Collinder 70 and Messier 41 within that area. A tour of several bright stars in the area includes close-ups of each star to get a sense of their relative size, and later the ecliptic is examined thanks to the alignment of Venus, Jupiter and the Moon.

Eyes on the Sky: Feb 6 thru Feb 12

Find Uranus via Venus

Uranus is a 5.9 magnitude object in the sky; barely visible naked eye from very dark locations, and visible with binoculars from most light polluted areas. So how to find it among the other 5th, 6th and 7th magnitude objects in the area? Use a brighter object to guide the way! On our journey around the Sun, the other planets’ positions change relative to our own, and this week, we see Venus “passing by” Uranus in the night sky. As many amateurs have never even seen Uranus through optical instruments, this is a great week to try and spot our solar system’s 7th planet. Download the PDF chart here (4.1 MB) to help you spot Uranus this week.

Also in the sky: Mars and the Moon make a magnificent pair in the sky this week, and as Mars is close to opposition, now is a good time to view not only the Red Planet, but some Messier galaxies that are nearby as well – thought it is better to spot them in a week or so, after the Moon has revolved further east in the sky.

Eyes on the Sky: Feb 13 thru Feb 19

Measuring light pollution

The Globe at Night initiative enlists the help of amateur astronomers everywhere across the globe to submit what the sky looks like in their area with respect to how light pollution affects their visible sky. This week’s video focuses on that effort, and explains how to easily find the constellations used by Globe at Night as well as how to submit observations quickly and easily.

Eyes on the Sky: Feb 20 thru Feb 26

Moon in motion

See the Moon pass Mercury, Uranus, Venus and Jupiter all throughout this week; the brightest stars of Gemini and M35 are spotlighted as well. Also discussed: Where and when to see Mars and Saturn in the night sky this week.